Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski, the co-founders of Podcorn, a podcast sponsorship marketplace, have unveiled their latest venture — Storiaverse. This app is a platform for short-form entertainment that provides a unique reading experience by blending animated video with written content.
Accessible on iOS and Android devices, Storiaverse caters to fans of graphic novels and adult animation who enjoy discovering original stories presented in a short-form, animated style.
Agnes Kozera, also known as a co-founder of FameBit, a YouTube marketing platform acquired by Google in 2016, shared, “Our goal is to establish Storiaverse as a top storytelling platform and to enhance the immersive and engaging aspects of reading.”
She added, “We believe our unique format not only appeals to existing literature and animation enthusiasts but also has the potential to attract broader audiences looking for fresh entertainment experiences. Even individuals who typically shy away from reading due to being more visually oriented can enjoy our read-watch feature, thanks to our innovative patent-pending approach.”
Image Credits: Storiaverse
The distinctive feature of Storiaverse’s “Read-Watch” format is its intuitive function. Users can swipe up to watch a series of animated clips, then tap the screen to switch to reading mode. There’s also an option to skip the videos for those who prefer reading the chapters first before watching the animation. Story lengths vary from five to ten minutes.
Upon its launch, Storiaverse presents 25 original titles across genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and comedy. Notable creators contributing stories to the app include animator Josh Ryba, known for his work on TV shows like “Raised by Wolves” and “One Piece;” animator Jonathan Fontaine, with experience from the Disney movie “Descendants;” and writer John M. Floyd, featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, among others.
HarperCollins, the book publisher, has partnered with Storiaverse to adapt works like Madeleine Roux’s horror series “Asylum” and Joelle Charbonneau’s new fantasy series “Dividing Eden.” Further, TikTok star and independent animator King Science (Science Akbar) is collaborating to create an exclusive story for the platform.
Storiaverse already collaborates with over 100 creators and has more than 100 stories in the pipeline for development.
Co-founders Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski. Image Credits: Storiaverse
Storiaverse enters the scene amid concerns among creators about the future of TikTok, a popular short-form video platform owned by ByteDance where many storytellers have amassed significant followings (like King Science and his 13 million followers), using it as a showcase for their creations.
Similar to TikTok and YouTube Shorts, Storiaverse offers an extra revenue stream for creators.
Agnes Kozera mentioned, “There is a large community of independent writers who often struggle to gain recognition and fair compensation. We believe their content can thrive in a more contemporary format to reach new readers.” She explained that Storiaverse compensates both writers and animators for their contributions to the app, with compensation rates depending on factors such as story length and complexity.
The company is exploring avenues such as introducing ads, merchandise, subscriptions, and possibly product placements in videos, drawing inspiration from its competitors.
Storiaverse has already garnered thousands of writer submissions. Interested creators can apply on Storiaverse’s website. Accepted writers are matched with an animator to bring their stories to visualization.
Additionally, a Creator Suite is in the works for creators to collaborate, track story performance metrics, and explore more opportunities for monetization, as mentioned by Agnes Kozera.
Storiaverse secured $2.5 million in pre-seed funding led by 500 Global.
